Shoplifting ring recruits from homeless shelters

An Albuquerque man arrested for allegedly stealing from Home Depot and Lowe’s on multiple occasions was using homeless people to return the merchandise for refunds, according to a news report on KRQE.

Rodney Segura was apprehended inside a Lowe’s store on Sept. 28 by detectives who had been following the suspect, according to the report. Lowe’s loss prevention officers said they also had Segura under surveillance.

Authorities claim that Segura stole $15,000 worth of goods from Lowe’s and $17,000 from Home Depot stores in the area. As part of the scheme, police said, Segura recruited 22 people from homeless shelters to return items. Both retailers have alerts built into their return systems if one individual makes too many returns, especially without a receipt.